Jewishness; Jewish Identity

I am a second generation Holocaust survivor with parents who both went through Auschwitz. While my parents both clearly had a relationship with G‑d, they were not observant and were in too much pain to ever discuss what Judaism meant to them...

"What is a Jew?" the teacher asked the class. I was at a conference in Los Angeles. Every type of Jew could attend and any attendee could present. This was my first class. His question got me thinking...

When you drive with a menorah on the top of your car, you are very in-your-face-Jewish. And I soon learned that every single time I got into my van, no matter where I was going or what I was doing, I was going to be watched...

Somehow the anonymity of a diverse group of strangers coming together from far and near, opens the channels of communication, awakens sleeping hearts and forges new bonds. Personal life stories begin flowing freely just as the choice wines at each meal...

I am proud of being Jewish and proud of keeping my integrity even if something tempting is staring me in the face...

Every Saturday, as the afternoon begins to draw to an end, some of the University of Toledo women's basketball players prepare to make a phone call. When the sun finally sets, they dial their teammate. "Naama, it's time to come out and play!" they sing to...

Today's world demands labels. Labels make us feel important, give us a sense of belonging. But is my Jewish identity just the sum of a few labels?...

My son confirmed the merits of our fastidious labelling system, and how it prevented his clothes from getting lost in the notorious clothes-eating camp laundromat. And I began to consider the benefits of labels. Not only on clothes. But for people, too...

I do not believe the many Germans who say that they knew nothing of the concentration camps. I was there in Germany and I knew about them. I remember feeling that it was terrible, but I had no special feelings for the Jews, because I did not know even one...

I think when children start answering the question of Jewish identity, they feel a need to categorize each person, and every object. Jewish or not Jewish? I may be Jewish, but are my shoes? My goldfish? What about the President of the United States?